The new Lexus GS range is the fourth generation of the company's luxury sport sedan that competes against cars such as the BMW 5-series and Mercedes-Benz's E-class. In this iteration, the GS previews new design language that eventually will carry over to the rest of the Lexus range. Reactions to the new look have diverged, but it's clearly not bland.

The model will be available with available premium, luxury and F-Sport packages, powered by a revised version of the 3.5-liter V6 that now combines direct and port fuel injection. The V6 produces 306 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, three more of each than before, while also improving fuel consumption to 19 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

All-wheel-drive versions of the GS 350 are available, as is the standard rear-drive format. While the GS loses a V8 variant for 2013, it gains an F-Sport model, which is equipped with firmer springs, a three-level variable-damping suspension, thicker antiroll bars, variable-speed steering and a rear-wheel-steer mechanism for optimal handling characteristics. The F-Sport car also has front and rear styling revisions, larger brakes and 19-inch wheels with summer tires.

As before, the GS will feature a hybrid variant, the GS 450h, which employs an Atkinson-cycle version of the V6 in combination with an electric motor to produce a combined maximum of 338 hp with 29/34mpg fuel consumption. The electric motor is mounted at the rear axle, and drives the rear wheels, so GS 450h models are rear-drive only.

The use of extra spot welds, increased use of high-strength steel and the adoption of a bolted-in triangular engine-box brace in the new GS body shell increases torsional rigidity by 14 percent. But weight has not increased beyond the previous car's mass, despite a full complement of technologies and luxury equipment, because of an intensive exercise to pare weight in every area--right down to hose-clamp widths!

What is it like to drive?

Because of the aforementioned advances in design and materials, the new GS is as solid, quiet and refined as one might hope. Intensive aerodynamic simulations and the adoption of a flat underbody and numerous surface tweaks reduce wind noise significantly, adding to the car's admirable road-going refinement.

So, to add some sporting flavor to the new GS, Lexus fitted a Helmholtz-type resonator that pipes the engine's induction noises into the cabin. The contrast to an older GS 350 that we had on hand was startling. While not really noisy, the new GS 350 provides a fantastic aural accompaniment to performance driving while retaining the hushed atmosphere of a luxury car when operated at modest speeds.

Of all the new models in the range, the F-Sport is one to make Lexus's rivals take serious note. The combination of ride and handling technologies provides the new GS with fast turn-in, brilliant roll control, amazing stability and a scintillating turn of speed. Its extraordinary range was perfectly showcased by a long autocross course laid out on the old air base at El Toro in Orange County, Calif. Since the rear wheels can steer in either direction, they can be used to speed turn-in by steering in the opposite direction to the fronts, then to stabilize the car by steering in the same direction.

The variable-steering gear massively speeds response in slaloms and chicanes, and none of the motion is lost to wayward body roll. Meanwhile, forces felt inside the car are easily contained by the excellent new seats. If chassis tuning was the way that rival companies' sport sedans built their reputations in the past, then technology is what might knock them off the perch today.

All of this clever technology hugely broadens the GS's bandwidth. Even the sport-optimized F-Sport version will tour suburbia with suave serenity, catering to its occupants' every need with the latest telematics package, connecting them to Internet radio or allowing them to make a reservation at a restaurant, then directing them to that location.

Everything one expects of a luxury car is available. High-end stereo? There's an 835-watt Mark Levinson system so tight and clean it is hard to describe in words. The navigation display is a 12.3-inch monster. There's a night-vision system and a precollision system. The seats are heated and ventilated. There is a blind-spot monitor and a heads-up display.

Not all of these things are standard, but all of them are available. Short of power doors, it's hard to think of anything not offered in one or another of the optional packages. Lexus always had the luxury part down. Now the company wants to inject some sporting essence into the experience. Some of the technology that makes the cars work so well is like that used by recognized sport superstars such as Ferrari.

With the LF-A proudly stationed on the Lexus stand at auto shows these days, maybe the two brand names aren't as far apart as they once were.

Do I want it?

It's hard to knock the idea of a refined ride for everyday activities, particularly if it comes courtesy of a beautifully made product. When Lexus first appeared, hard-nosed auto writers complained of too much isolation and not enough involvement. Now all of the rival luxury brands are more like Lexus than they were like themselves in the old days.

So, when you add performance bandwidth to a polished product such as the GS 350, allowing it to strafe a canyon road like a sports car as well as glide serenely to the office, it makes a fine argument for what the company has done here. All that's left to debate is the controversial new styling.